BAY CITY, MI — The sixth annual Friday at the Falls event kicks off on the Fourth of July, offering up free music at the cozy Waterfall Park in downtown Bay City.

Music begins each Friday at 6 p.m., with Scott Baker kicking off the eight-week-long music series.

"It's just a fun time," said Mike Bacigalupo, chief operating officer of the State Theatre, and keyboardist for the Josh Ramses Band, which closes out the music series Aug. 22. "People come downtown, go to St. Laurent's (Bros. candy shop) to get something to eat. All the entertainers do it to entertain somewhere."

Several other local acts are scheduled to play this year, including singer-songwriter Andy Reed and family-friendly magician Cameron Zvara.

Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs. Depending on who's playing, the park, located on the water off Third Street, fills up quickly, said Bacigalupo.

"The entertainers load in at about 5 p.m. and I've had people sitting there at 4:30 p.m.," he said. "There aren't many seats with shade. Some sit by the fountain to get the spray from the water."

Candace Bales, director of the Downtown Development Authority and Joy Butler, former director of the Bay Arts Council kicked off the Friday night concert event in 2008, with Bacigalupo taking over a couple years later.

"It's such a great event and a very nice situation for the downtown," Bales said. "We don't have to call the acts — they call us and create an awesome environment. The mix of music and magic brings out a different group of people for each performance."

Bales said it took a few years for Fridays at the Falls to take off and become a staple of downtown Bay City in the summer.

"We actually thought about canceling it after the second year, but people told us we needed to give it at least three years, and I'm glad we did," she said.

Chad Hughes on drums, Steven Schnettler as lead singer and bass and Josh Story on guitar are Garber High School graduates who offer original songs, along with covers from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. Their music is described as hard rock, but not heavy.